If you are old enough to remember April 22, 1970, then you remember a lot of things were going on as we started the new decade - some good, some very bad. One of the very good ones was Earth Day.That's the flag I remember. The gold theta over the green and white field and stripes. It made me think of the nation I loved with a Cub Scout's innocence, and the fields and woods where I learned to play baseball and capture the flag.
Politics and economics have changed a lot over the past four decades. The popularity of Earth Day has ebbed and flowed with gas prices, government leaders, and each generation's priorities. What hasn't changed is the importance of humankind's stewardship of our planet's health.
More Questions than Answers
Now it's 2008 and everywhere you turn you see companies "Going Green." But everyone seems to mean something different by the term. What does "Green" mean to your retail environment?
How do you use light, water, heat, and air conditioning? How much fuel does it take to bring merchandise, customers, and staff to your location? How much paper do you use, and what happens to it when you are finished?
Do you make choices about marketing, sales, and clerical operations with conservation in mind? A store is a world that you design and create. Does your creation reflect your values as a business person AND as a steward of our planet?
Balance
The key is balance. Just as the environment relies on balance to hold itself together, your company relies on balance. Your decisions have to based on many responsibilities, not just one. You have a responsibility to the planet - you also have one to your customers, your employees... all the stakeholders whose lives are affected by the health of your business.
Corman & Associates wants to help you to balance all these interests. We will work with you to help create a retail environment that reflects the way you value the global environment. We can help you choose materials, designs, and decor that are both eco-sensitive and commercially effective.
Caring about the environment has been in fashion before. There are lots of legitimate business reasons to jump on the bandwagon. "Going Green" is all the rage right now, but fashions change. Ten years from now, we might have cheap fuel and roaring bull markets , just like in the ninties. People may be laughing at eco-kooks and tree-huggers again. Maybe not. For now, a lot of customers care about "green". That may be a good enough reason to make sure your location lets them know you're with them.
At Corman's we think there's a better reason to care -- we think managing your business AND your stewardship of the earth is just the right thing to do.
Whether it's this year's style or not.
But talk is cheap. In the coming weeks, we'll be talking about the things we're doing here in Lexington, and the things we can help you do in your home town to make "Going Green" more than just a bumper-sticker slogan. We all have a lot to learn. We'll learn together.
--- Bob Johnson, Corporate Sales Director
